Fullmetal Ghoul
by The Ice Blood Alchemist
Summary: The Elrics are two brothers who started their dark descent into sin when they attempted a Ghoul Resurrection. Now, with Edward a half-ghoul and a Unique, and Alphonse who lost three senses, they search for the legendary Ghoul Stone, which can only be used by ghouls, to regain what they have lost.
1. Fullmetal Ghoul

Fullmetal Ghoul

* * *

Fullmetal Ghoul

* * *

**Ed: This is stupid. I don't want to do this. This is stupid. I've read about ghouls before. This is stupid. And now you're making me into one?! DID I MENTION THIS IS STUPID?!**

**Me: Shut up, shrimp.**

**Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT HE COULD RIDE A TICK AND STILL HAVE ROOM LEFT OVER?!**

**Me: Totally you, chibi.**

**Al: Stop it, Brother. Kori doesn't own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or Tokyo Ghoul.**

**Me: I WANT TO THOUGH! ARE YOU LISTENING MISS ARAKAWA?! FUNIMATION, ANIPLEX?! Oh, and by the way, Alphonse doesn't have his sense of touch, taste, or smell (like Ed in my FMA AU) and Ed still has all his limbs.**

* * *

"Isaac McDougal."

Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Ghoul, raised an eyebrow at the packet that had been tossed to him earlier.

"The Freezing Ghoul?"

His human younger brother, Alphonse Elric, leaned over his brother's shoulder, his silver hair tumbling down his shoulders.

"He has a water kagune, apparently, and can both freeze or burn his opponents, and recently escaped from the State Ghoul we assigned to him," said Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Ghoul, with a bit of a swagger. Clearly, he felt important that he was able to order another State Ghoul around as he pleased. "That's all the information we have on McDougal for now, shorty."

A vein pulsed dangerously in Ed's forehead for a moment before he positively _exploded_.

"_WHO_ ARE YOU CALLING _SO SHORT_ HE COULD _DROWN_ IN A _DROPLET OF WATER?!_"

Al, with a trained grace that could only be honed from years of practice, plucked his older brother from the air before the ghoul could leap at Mustang's smirking face.

"No contest. It's most definitely you, Fullmetal."

First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye stepped into the room smartly, her blond hair bound into a sensible bun, a stack of condemning paperwork in her arms.

"Please don't tease Edward, Colonel," sighed the woman, though it was phrased more like an order than a suggestion, and one hand went to the gun at her hip. The click of the safety being turned off echoed around the room. "I suggest you do something more productive, such as paperwork."

Mustang said hastily, "But I am being productive, Hawkeye! I'm filling in Edward about the Freezing Ghoul!"

Hawkeye quirked an eyebrow, turning towards the fifteen-year-old ghoul and his younger human brother, the former of which was mouthing "Edward" which a stupefied expression, fuming, and the latter of which was straining to hold back his raging brother.

"Right, sir..."

* * *

Isaac McDougal, the Freezing Ghoul, a former State Ghoul, stood alone in an abandoned alleyway, waiting patiently for the next foolish soldier to fall prey to his unsatiable hunger. He'd been starving for about two months now, and he was actually in danger of drooling as he waited. But he knew better than to barge into the street and attack blindly. He'd be set upon and would get carted off to prison before he'd even had a proper meal, and he much preferred the painful starvation that freedom bought than the full, but claustrophobic, confined life of an imprisoned ghoul.

A lone soldier skidded into the corner, aimed his gun at the ghoul. "Free—"

He was dead before he finished the sentence.

McDougal was ravenous, devouring the flesh quickly and discarding the bones, leaving only a bloody skeleton.

"How awful."

The young voice bounced around the confined space, and McDougal's head jerked up, his red pupils gleaming maliciously.

"To eat a human alive? It's a horrible way to die," added a higher-pitched voice, distinctly human. McDougal licked his lips, but the scent of the former voice was unlike any he'd ever smelled, and he was a cautious ghoul.

"I can think of worse, Alphonse," remarked the first voice snarkily, and McDougal squinted at the outlines in the dim light. One was painfully short, barely four foot eleven, the other slightly lanky, standing at about five feet.

"Get out of my turf, shorty," snarled McDougal. Big mistake.

The taller, Alphonse, grabbed the smaller, Edward, threw a hand over his mouth to stifle the enraged shrieks, and pleaded, "_Please_ don't call him a degrading term for short."

Bemused, McDougal said, "Clear out. I don't eat humans that are smaller than me."

Ed, wriggling out of his brother's grasp, yelled at the top of his lungs, "HOW _DARE_ YOU SUGGEST THAT I—I'm..."

His voice hitched, and he ceased his struggling, sagging in Al's arms, and whispered, "...Human."

His hands curled into fists and began to shake, and Al backed away, dropping Ed. He knew better than to try and restrain Ed when this happened. He could only hope Ed's kagune didn't go out of control and hurt himself.

Ed's left eye—_only_ his left eye—gleamed red and crackled, and suddenly, two differemt kagune shot from his back—one Ukaku, one Rinkaku. Both were an uncharacteristic metallic silver.

McDougal's eyebrows shot up, but he shot his own kagune—also Ukaku—at the ghoul, though Ed dodged nimbly, his ghoul eye wide and angry; his human eye was still a striking gold, but it had dulled slightly and was glazed over; his human side had shut down.

The Freezing Ghoul scowled, raising his kagune to slice the the young ghoul down, but Al blocked it, not even blinking as the MCDougal's eyes widened and he pulled back, out of surprise more than anything.

Al studied the deep gash with a kind of interest on his face. "Funny thing that I can't feel pain, either," he remarked, before stepping out of the way for his brother, whose face had twisted with rage when his younger brother had been attacked.

"_Don't... Touch... My... Brother!_"

McDougal stared, not even caring as a spike from Ed's Ukaku caught him in the leg, his thoughts whirring in his head.

"You're a half-ghoul and a Unique... Your brother doesn't have his sense of touch..."

McDougal's conclusion made an insane smile stretch across his face, realizing that these boys were neck-deep in sin. "You two... Have committed the ultimate taboo! You've performed Ghoul Resurrection!"

Ed's two-toned eyes grew huge as he remembered the awful day that he'd cost his brother one of his most important senses.

_"Dammit! Alphonse! Move!" Ed cried, staring in shock and horror as the violet light that had sucked away their mother's life force began to take Al as well._

_The boy stood, swaying, his mouth open in a wail, as the violet light descended on him._

_And then his brother was between him and the light. _

_"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"_

Ed stared at McDougal, a frozen look on his face. Then he said, in a low, deadly voice, _"You know... There are some lines... You really shouldn't cross."_

McDougal felt the Rinkaku before he saw it, the tentacle going right through his stomach. He felt the pain, wrapping like a vice around his middle, and the scream of agony ripping itself from his throat. Then he felt the blood. And smiled.

How stupid was the ghoul to let a starving ghoul near blood?

He lapped it up and felt energy, like caffeine, shoot through his veins. He shot his Ukaku—he vaguely heard a cry of pain, a loud "Brother!", and then the Rinkaku dropped, and McDougal scampered away, crazed laughter bubbling up from his chest.

Ed's hand found the kagune spike in his shoulder, and, wincing, tore it out. He then sniffed the air, scowled. "I let him near blood... An amateur's mistake." He then saw Al's melancholy gaze and his eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Alphonse... I know you can't smell."

"Or taste, or feel," added Al. Ed looked down, his hands curling into fists. The younger noticed and amended hastily, "I didn't mean it like that, brother! I'm grateful for everything you've done for me..."

He helped his brother up, adding, "You saved my life, you know, brother."

"Did I really?" Asked Ed bitterly, his kagune retreating. He stood up, slowly, pressing on the wound. "Is a world where you can't taste, or smell, or feel, really a world where you want to be alive?"

Al didn't answer, instead tearing a strip of the red cloth of his brother's cloak and binding the stab wound, cringing as Ed hissed.

Major Alex Louis Armstrong appeared suddenly in the alley, accompanied by the impressive mustache and gag-inducing sparkles.

"Edward Elric! Alphonse Elric! Towards which way did the menace go?" He cried. Ed monotonously pointed in the general direction of McDougal's escape. Al heaved him up by one arm, and they hurried after Armstrong, who thudded away, shining like a beacon in the gloom of the alley.

There was little to be done regarding the capture of the Freezing Ghoul, however.

McDougal (or the corpse that had once been McDougal) was lying in an increasingly growing pool of blood, and a man was standing over him, blood dripping from his blades.

Ed gaped at the tall, unwavering figure, gripping his shoulder and leaning on Al, whose jaw was also hanging open.

Fürher President King Bradley turned, his gaze falling upon the openmouthed brothers. His serious expression immediately melted into a kind smile. "My, to imagine I assisted the famed Elric brothers! This will make for a good tale for my son."

* * *

Ed raised his hand, turning it this way and that; even though it had been three years, he was still endlessly fascinated by himself.

"We never did figure out if he had a Ghoul Stone."

Ed glanced sharply at Al, who was referring to the ancient stone spoken of in legends that spoke of being able to bring something back for a sacrifice by a ghoul. Each brother dreamed of obtaining the Ghoul Stone for their own reasons: Ed, to return his brother's senses; Al, to return his brother's humanity.

"No," Ed said heavily, dropping his hand, the other finding his bandaged shoulder. Ghouls healed faster than humans, but the military insisted a special ward be put in for ghouls, and Mustang took one look at him dripping blood and had ordered, "Hospital, now", so he hadn't had much of a choice in the matter. "I guess we'll have to check out the military report."

Ed suddenly stiffened, his golden eyes narrowing. Al noticed a periodic thudding sound that seemed to grow louder and louder. Ed's eyes widened in shock, and he swayed a bit, and as a surprised and worried Al steadied him, he muttered faintly, "Oh, crap."

Major Armstrong burst into the room, clutching a bouquet of roses, adorned with sparkles. "Oh, Edward Elric, when I heard you were in the hospital, I dashed over!"

He threw off his shirt, causing both boys to scream.

"The beauty of my muscles will surely warm your heart! Don't be shy; you can touch them if you like."

"GET OUT!"

* * *

A young woman stood at the balcony of a building overlooking a small town. "Oh dear, he overused that Ghoul Stone, didn't he? Such a shame."

A bulbous man sat next to her, feasting upon a dog. He grinned up at the woman, who smiled back.

"It shall all begin very, very soon."


	2. The First Day

Fullmetal Ghoul

* * *

The First Day

* * *

**Ed: YOU TOOK AWAY MY BROTHER'S SENSES?! ARE YOU INSANE?!**

**Me: I only took his sense of smell, taste, and touch! It's better this way—he can't feel pain!**

**Ed: YOU BITCH! -punches me-**

**Me: OW! -leaps onto Ed and starts pulling his hair-**

**Al: -pulling me and Ed apart- KORI DOESN'T OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD OR TOKYO GHOUL! KORI—**

**Me: BTW, HERE'S A FACT FOR LAST CHAPPIE! AL _IS_ A GHOUL! THEY JUST THINK HE'S HUMAN UNTIL HE STARTS TO DISPLAY KOUKAKU ABILITIES! HE'D LOST HIS ABILITY TO USE HIS KAGUNE BECAUSE OF THE TRAUMA UNTIL HE REALIZES HE STILL CAN IN THE EPISODE MISSIONARY FROM THE EAST!**

* * *

"Oh, dear."

Trisha Elric, a ghoul with a Koukaku kagune, blinked in the haze from the fallen bookshelf. Her two sons—both ghouls—were quite a handful, especially without her husband.

Edward, her oldest, was sitting, undisturbed, in a clean circle, surrounded by a wall of books that protected him from the dusty onslaught. Alphonse, the younger, was not so lucky; he appeared to be buried in a tower of hole-filled books that were smoking slightly.

"I told you boys not to disturb Daddy's study," she scolded gently, extracting Al from the smoldering books.

"We're not messing it up!" Said Ed indignantly. Then, to Trisha's great astonishment, he closed his eyes, and a burst of scarlet kagune grew from his back, and as her eyes adjusted to the new phenomenon, she realized it was Ukaku, and impossibly bright, not even flickering.

"I can do it too!" Cried Al, determined not to be outdone by his older brother; he closed his eyes, and yellow-and-crimson Koukaku sputtered to life from his back, a bit weaker than Ed's but strong nontheless.

"Th-That's your kagune, isn't it?" She stuttered, though she already knew the answer.

"Uh-huh!" Ed replied proudly. "And look—" His black-and-red eyes crackled, and he lifted a book, heaved it into the air, and shot an Ukaku spike at it. As it dropped, Al snatched it out of the air with his Koukaku and dropped it, with a gentle thud, onto the floor.

Trisha gaped for a few moments, then muttered, "Wait till the ghouls of the world realize that these two have a better grip on their kagune than _I_ do..."

"Did we do something wrong?" She looked up at her two sons, who were staring at her with equal looks of worry on their faces.

"No, no, of course not!" She hastily covered up, smiling. "You did very well! I think I'll boast to all the neighbors."

Ed and Al turned, and beamed at each other.

* * *

And thus began the two young ghouls' obsession with harnessing their kagune. They learned under a teacher to control their hunger, their kagune, their power.

Life was satisfactory, and happy.

But that year, there was an epidemic.

Trisha Elric passed away.

* * *

Ed stared at the gravestone dully. Al, crouched in front of it beside his older brother, said in a small voice, "Brother, I'm cold."

Ed didn't answer.

"I'm hungry," Al added, in the same timid tone. He seemed to sense Ed's fragile state of mind, and was treading into the shadowed territory out of necessity and nothing else.

"Al..." Ed's Ukaku flared from his back, and he looked down at his brother, the scarlet pupils of his crackling black eyes still holding an undeniable anguish. "...Let's bring Mom back."

"Ghoul Resurrection?" Asked Al, his eyes wide with a mixture of excitement and horror. "But the book we read said it was forbidden!"

"I know." If Ed had known, at that moment, what fate he was sealing for himself and his brother, he would have never even thought about it. He would have refused even his younger brother's pleas if he knew.

But no matter how inhuman ghouls are, they will never be able to see the future.

"That's why it'll be our little secret."

* * *

"Done."

Ed lowered his pen, staring at the paper with an elated look on his face. The shadows under his eyes from sleepless nights, from studying hard, could never erase the joy in that moment.

"Al! Get the ingredients! Here—Uh... Water, 35 liters; carbon, 20 kilograms; ammonia, 4 liters; lime, 1.5 kilograms; phosphoros, 800 grams; salt, 250 grams; saltpeter, 100 grams; sulfur, 80 grams; fluorine, 7.5 grams; iron, 5 grams; silicon, 3 grams... And some... Soul... Data."

The two slit their fingers lightly, biting their lips, and the blood dripped into the pan.

Ed's crackling ghoul eyes stared at the pan in the middle of the basement floor, feeling a fleeting sense of fear.

He saw Trisha Elric's warm smile dancing tantalizingly in his line of vision.

"Al, on three, okay? One, two, three!" The two focused their kagune power into the pan on the floor, and the mass rose, taking the vague shape of a human with tentacles rising from its back in a golden light.

And, in that moment, everything went wrong.

A violet light rose from the gold, dyeing it, and it rose into the air sharply before descending upon the human figure, destroying it, before rearing, shaking its "head", and turning towards Al, whose black eyes were wide with tangible fear. The violet had begun to engulf him, shrouding him in a kind of thick mist, when Ed shoved him out of the way.

"Move it, Al!"

* * *

Al awoke blearily in a haze of smoke.

He sat up, vaguely realizing he couldn't smell anything. He moved a hand opto his mouth, realizing he couldn't feel it, and when he coughed on what appeared to be a trickle of blood, he couldn't taste it. He caught a glimpse of himself in the polished armor beside him, and to his astonishment, his hair was a shock of silver instead of its usual gold.

He looked around, eagerly, for his brother, for his mother. Then he realized his older brother was standing in the middle of the room, swaying, with two types of kagune sprouting from his bloody back, his eyes—one ghoul and one not—open wide. He stared back for a moment, mouthed his name, _Alphonse_.

Al bolted forward, catching his brother before the boy hit the stone floor. He cringed as his hand touched his brother's back, which was slick with blood and the two kagune fighting for dominance, but seeing as he couldn't feel it, figured it wasn't like it mattered much.

"Brother! What happened?! And... Your kagune..."

"I... We... Before the light took... You too... I pulled you out of the way and took the blast..."

Ed winced, and Al looked around the haze, his eyes screwed up against the thick smoke. "What about Mom?"

"Don't look, Al!" This was said with the most force, and Al glanced at his brother with a bit of surprise as Ed grabbed the front of his shirt with vigor that was not expected of a young boy who'd lost God knows how much blood. "It wasn't alive..."

Al's silver eyes had already slid over the black, pulsing mass, and he gasped, backing up to the wall, clutching his older brother closer, wanting to protect him. "Why... Why did it... Brother, your theories, the diagrams, they were perfect!"

"It wasn't the theories that were wrong, Al... It was us..."

* * *

Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang, Flame Ghoul, stared at the young boy sitting curled up in the wheelchair. His arms hid his face, though the blood dribbling down his forearm signaled his fangs were embedded in his arm to keep from lashing out at his human friends. It was pitiful, really.

"As a State Ghoul, he'll be prdered to act as a soldier in times of war, but he will receive various special privileges, and research of the highest level will be possible." The shrivelled old woman, nearly the height of where his knees were, took a long drag on her pipe, watching as a young girl—her granddaughter, perhaps?—offered the boy a mangled limb of some sort, looking concerned rather than disgusted. The boy slowly took the flesh and sank his teeth into it, and Mustang couldn't help but marvel at how well the boy was able to control his hunger.

"That _thing_ in the middle of their basement..." Pinako Rockbell couldn't stop herself from glaring at the military man. "Did their ghoul powers create it? Why would they ever want to continue with something that created the creature there?"

Mustang's eyes darkened. "They may be able to return to their normal state if they carry on."

Ed's head jerked up, ignoring the blood dribbling down his chin, staring at Mustang, a fire flickering in his eyes that definitely hadn't been there before. Then he hissed to Pinako, whoe eyes widened, "Granny... I'm gonna need to get the extra off of my back."

* * *

Edward Elric stepped smartly into the middle of the room, facing Fürher President King Bradley, smirking. He then closed his eyes (which he'd gotten into a habit of so that no one else saw that he was a half-ghoul), and two kagune sprang to life from his back in bright silver. There were multiple gasps. Then Ed rushed forward at the Fürher President, his Rinkaku pointed at him, his Ukaku speed urging him faster.

He stopped mere inches from the man's throat.

* * *

"The President gave you quite an ironic name."

_"You must have nerves of steel."_

"He decreed you a State Ghoul..."

_"...By the name 'Fullmetal'."_

"Has an oppressive feel to it."

_"Good luck, young ghoul!"_

"I'll take it!"


	3. The City of Heresy

Fullmetal Ghoul

* * *

City of Heresy

* * *

**Me: -snore-**

**Ed: Uh... Kori isn't awake and she's a demon if we wake her up... So... Kori does not own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or Tokyo Ghoul...**

**Me: -springs up- GOOD JOB PIPSQUEAK I'M PROUD OF YOU**

**Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING—**

* * *

_"Children of God who dwell upon the earth, there is no salvation without prayer and faith. The Sun God Leto will illuminate thy path. Behold! The Lord hath descended from his throne to save thee from thy sins."_

A small radio crackled out,_ "For I am thy Father... I am the emissary of the Sun God..."_

Al's silver eyes bored into the vendor, who squirmed slightly, and he asked, "A religious broadcast on the radio?"

"'Emissary of the Sun God'?" Ed scowled into his drink, his lip curling disdainfully. "What the heck is that?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you two the same thing..." The vendor polished a cup absentmindedly, glancing up at the two strange outsiders. "You two street performers?"

Ed choked on his straw, and after much coughing and patting of the back, Ed managed, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what makes you think we're—" Another bout of coughing, "—street performers?"

"Haven't seen you around before," said the vendor as a way of explanation apologetically. "Sightseers?"

Ed grunted noncommittedly. "Hmm. Trying to track something down. Anyway," he continued, pointing his fork at the radio, "what's this broadcast?"

"You've never heard of Father Cornello?" Asked the vendor, looking startled. Ed scowled darkly.

"Who?"

"Father Cornello! He's a man who came to this town years ago and showed us the way of God. He works miracles! ...You aren't listening, are you, kid?"

"Nope," mumbled Ed into his fork. "I'm agnostic." He sighed and stood in a kind of final way. "Thanks for the eats. Let's go," he added to Al. The younger nodded and stood; unfortunately, his lanky form reached the ceiling and his silver head brushed the platform holding the radio, which fell towards the vendor's oblivious head.

"Look out!" Yelled Al, and he closed his eyes; a creamy shadow with scarlet streaks snaked from his back and knocked the radio from its course; Ed caught it, glancing at his younger brother, whose hands were on his knees, recovering from the sudden use of his kagune, which had never been quite right ever since the Resurrection.

The crowd of people gaped at them, then the vendor exclaimed, covering his head, "You can work miracles?!"

"Miracles?" Ed muttered, digruntled, before pasting a cocky smile on his face and saying confidently, "We're ghouls."

"Th... The Elric brothers," wheezed Al. "A lot of people... Have heard of us."

"The Elric... Oh, the Elric brothers? I've heard of you! They say the older is a State Ghoul called the Fullmetal Ghoul, Edward Elric!"

They crowded around Al, crowing and admiring, and the silver-haired ghoul shot a furtive glance at his older brother, who was scowling darkly, and he took it upon himself to say timidly, "Er, it's not me, it's him!"

"Huh?"

"You mean the little guy?"

Al clapped a hand to his face. Leave it to clueless humans to set his brother off...

**_"I'M NOT LITTLE! DON'T CALL ME MIDGET! OR SHORTY! OR SHRIMP!"_**

Al sighed and held his brother back before he destroyed the entire street and mumbled, "Brother, calm down."

Ed tore himself out of Al's grasp, snarling, "It's me! I'm the Fullmetal Ghoul! Edward Elric!"

"S-Sorry about that..."

Ed turned away and tromped down the street, seething. "Stupid humans..."

* * *

Rosé's head turned at the sound of heavy footsteps, and she was surprised to see that a young boy and a silver-haired male who appeared to be his older brother entering the church. The red-coated smaller figure dropped into a pew and tilted his head back, grinning up at the statue of Leto, though from her vantage point, it appeared to be carved into his face, a cruel leer.

She cleared her throat and said cheerfully (or as cheerfully as she could with the fearsome look on his face), "Are you here to join the church of Leto?"

Ed pulled his lips back in what was evidently a sneer this time. "Nah, I'm agnostic."

"That's not a real answer! If you believe in God, you can hope and pray with faith each day. It's wonderful!" She stared down at him for a moment, then added fervently, "If you have faith, you'll grow taller for sure!"

Ed sighed. "Jeez, do you honestly believe that if you pray, the dead will come back to life?"

Rosé didn't even hesitate. "Yes, I do!"

Ed grinned ferally, the dangerous ingredients taunting him, his young voice echoing in his head. "Water, 35 liters; Carbon, 20 kilograms; Ammonia, 4 liters; Lime, 1.5 kilograms; Phosphorus, 800 grams; Salt, 250 grams; Saltpeter, 100 grams; Sulfur, 80 grams; Fluorine, 7.5 grams; Iron, 5 grams; Silicon, 3 grams; and trace amounts of 15 other elements."

"Huh...?"

"Those are the components of the average adult body," Ed said, smirking, though Rosé couldn't shake the feeling that it looked awfully sad.

"Humans come in cheap. Those are things you could get from a shop with a child's allowance."

Her blood boiled and before she could stop herself, she yelled, "Humans aren't playthings! God will punish you for saying such words!"

It stung badly when Ed only laughed. "God won't do such a thing. I've come too close already for Him to let me back up. But..."

His golden eyes narrowed at her. "I hear the priest—This... Father Cornello—has been working miracles with incredible wings and tails and those sorts. Is it true?"

Rosé's eyes brightened when he actually showed interest in Letoism instead of laughing at it. "Oh, yes! It's amazing, I've never seen anything like it!"

Ed exchanged a subtle glance with Al before saying charmingly, "Hey, I'm kinda interested... Mind showing me to the priest?"

* * *

Rosé could easily say her own troubles paled drastically in comparison to the Elric brothers'.

The older was in constant pain from his automail kagune, and the younger's senses and kagune had never been the same. Durin the last twenty minutes, Ed had showed her his silver kagune, which was exactly like normal kagune excepting the metal bolts and other painful-looking things in his back, blocking off the excess kagune that could easily cause him death, and Al had been shot multiple times but had not even blinked an eye. He'd simply dug them out (Rosé gagged), applied antiseptic that he'd produced fro his pocket, and had bandaged them neatly with an air of having done it before.

Oh, and Ed had revealed Father Cornello's nefarious plot.

"You'll never win against the ability the Ghoul Stone can give me!"

"Aagh—" Rosé winced, knowing he must have used his kagune, "—Too slow!"

There was a loud, and sick, slicing noise, then Fathr Cornello's stuttering "Y-You can't win! Ever! With the Ghoul Stone, I—"

There was another gruesome sound, rather like flesh intertwining with muscle, then Father Cornello's screams. Ed's faint words could still be heard, though.

"A-All that trouble... All that research... And the Stone... Was fake..."

Rosé felt a slight twinge in her heart, knowing that now, she could never see her love again. But then there was a rumbling, and a crash, and static sounded.

Later, she learned that the statue of Leto's fist had been found sliced clean off and aimed into the ground.

She had to give it to him for creativity.

* * *

"How dare... You give me... A fake...?!"

"Did you really think we'd give a inexperienced country priest like you the real Stone? You're only deluding yourself!"

"Hey, Lust, can I eat him?"

"No, no, Gluttony. You'll get a stomachache from eating this foul man. If you eat this second-rate... No, this third-rate fool..."

"ARGH! YOU'RE MOCKING ME—YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE!"

_Shunk_.

"Oh, and when things were going so well, too! Father won't be pleased."

_Crunch_.

"Hey. I told you not to eat that."


	4. A Ghoul's Anguish

Fullmetal Ghoul

* * *

A Ghoul's Anguish

* * *

**Me: Aaaaaaah... poor, poor Nina... This episode made me cry.**

**Al: -pats my back- There, there, Kori.**

**Me: -sniffles- I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or Tokyo Ghoul. Oh, and I think I'll start making the chapters longer. BTW, I just reread all three chapters and realized that there are small spelling errors in all of them; I don't use spellcheck. It's overrated. (That one time I tried to write 'Fullmetal' and it autocorrected to 'Fundamental'... I'll never live it down.)**

**Ed: -staring at the wall with a deadpan expression on his face-**

**Me: ...I think the thought of me crying traumatized him.**

* * *

"You owe me for this, Colonel."

The smirk on Major Edward Elric's face was one that could strike terror into any average soldier's heart. It was one that silently promised, _I will not forget this._

"It gives me shivers to hear that from you," replied Colonel Roy Mustang easily, his amused expression completely contradicting his statement. He sighed and stood, walking over to the bookcases erected against the wall. Ed turned in his seat, looking deeply suspicious, and demanded, "What're you doing?"

Al's quiet reprimand of "Brother" went ignored by Mustang, who sniped, "Don't be so suspicious. I'm paying off my debt here and now." He extricated a file out of the tightly wedged books and reports with some difficulty, then tossed it onto the table in front of the Elric brothers, explaining as he sat back down at his own desk, "The Sewing Life Ghoul, Shou Tucker. He got his State Ghoul license when he successfully created a chimera that could speak like a human."

This snatched Ed's attention. Creating chimeras was notoriously tricky, and usually, only Rinkaku ghouls did it because they were at the least risk with their increased healing abilities. Other ghouls could create them as well, of course, but it was considered a reckless thing to do unless you were a Rinkaku and knew what you were doing. But what really struck him was that one piece of information—"You mean it could speak? A _chimera_?"

"Yes," repeated Mustang patiently. "But apparently it said only one thing: 'I want to die'. After that, it refused to eat, and starved to death."

Al exchanged glances with Ed, who muttered, "I wonder why Mr. Tucker would create such a thing..."

* * *

"Holy... This house is huge," Ed said in awe, staring up at the mansion with a look of disbelief on his face. Al was looking around at the garden, lips quirked in a grim smile at the withering flowers. The whole place seemed to be in disrepair.

Suddenly, a huge shadow fell upon Ed. The half-ghoul only had time to look up and shriek before an overlarge white dog landed on him, panting in victory. Al clamped both hands over his mouth to stifle the laughs wracking his lanky frame.

"Whoa! Lots of visitors, Papa!" Cried a young girl's voice. Al, unoccupied, turned his head at the sound, and there was a small child, a girl with long brown braids hanging down her back, standing in the doorway, pushing the door open further. A middle-aged man wearing wire-rimmed glasses materialized behind her, chastising weakly, "Now, Nina, I told you to keep the dog tied up..."

"Mr. Tucker," said Mustang smoothly. "These are the Elric brothers. They wish to learn about the biological branch of using kagune, specifically for Rinkaku ghouls, and I pointed them here." He finished his little spiel with a charming smile, not quite unlike the one he would give women who were drooling over him, but Shou Tucker didn't seem all that reassured; however, he did bestow upon them a nervous little smile.

"Come in, come in," he said, ushering them in, rushing the little girl—Nina—inside as well, and though he had not been called, the dog, Alexander, jumped up, and Ed, grumbling, clomped in.

"This is the Fullmetal Ghoul Edward Elric, Mr. Tucker," said Mustang, nodding towards Ed, who inclined his head to Tucker. "He's the one interested in the branch of Rinkaku chimera creation."

"Ah." Tucker sat back, observing Ed, who gave him a hard stare back, accustomed to mutterings about him and the pointing of fingers, then his eyes flickered to Al, who patted his mess of silver hair self-consciously. The older man gestured for them to sit down at the dining table; Ed and Mustang complied, though Nina tugged at Al's arm, begging him to come play with her, until he gave up and followed her, just as Tucker appeared to reach a decision.

"If you want to know what I'm keeping hidden behind my back, you'll have to show me what you are, too," he said placidly. "It would be fair then, would it not?"

Mustang remained completely still; only his dark, alarmed eyes darted to Ed, who had stiffened, as though his spine had been replaced by a metal rod. He began to speak, to cover Ed's reaction: "Mr. Tucker, I'm sorry, I don't think—" but Ed raised a hand to stop him.

"I think Mr. Tucker deserves an answer," he said quietly, and he grit his teeth, dug his fingers into the armrest of the chair, and his silver Unique kagune flickered to life from his back. Tucker stared for a few moments before nodding, and Ed's kagune practically deflated before retreating into his back.

"I would appreciate it if you kept this a secret, Mr. Tucker," said Mustang, his voice considerably subdued. "Not many people truly know what kind of kagune the Fullmetal Ghoul has."

"Of course," said Tucker levelly. He stood with a heavy sigh and added, "Follow me, Major," and Mustang and Ed exchanged a fleeting look before Ed nodded, grabbed Al's hand, and went after Tucker.

Before Tucker could turn the corner, Mustang called, "Mr. Tucker? The examination is coming up soon."

Tucker turned slightly, his glasses catching the light filtering through the window. "Yes, I know."

* * *

"That library is amazing, Mr. Tucker!" Exclaimed Ed, waving his gloved hands animatedly. "There are books in there that I've never read, and they're _awesome_!"

Tucker chuckled, then lowered his gaze. "It's been a mess around here ever since my wife left... It's nice to hear someone complimenting it."

"Mama left when I was little," said Nina with a hint of sadness. She buried her face into Alexander's white fur, adding, "I write to her a lot, but she never writes back."

Both Ed and Al flinched, remembering their father, who'd left them while they were young.

"Well, she left because of the state of poverty we were in..." Tucker lowered his head further, adding under his breath, "I have to pass this examination no matter what."

"Big brother, what's an examination?" Asked Nina. Ed looked at the small child and said simply, "An examination is when State Ghouls have to report their findings to the military. If you don't do well, they take your State Ghoul license."

Nina gasped loudly and threw herself into Tucker's startled arms, saying, "No way! Papa, you'll do well for sure! You're always studying so hard! If they don't let you, I'll make them!"

Both boys chuckled, then Al said, "You tell 'em, Nina."

Tucker glanced at the young girl in his embrace, the light catching the lenses of his glasses and making it hard to distinguish his eyes underneath the glass. "I have to pass this examination, no matter what. I can't have us go back to the poverty we dealt with before."

The two Elrics exchanged glances, Al looking bewildered, Ed doubtful.

"Er, good... Good luck, Mr. Tucker..."

Tucker looked at his hands for a moment, then said suddenly, "Nina, do you want to play with Papa tomorrow?"

Nina gasped again, almost comically, and exclaimed, "Alexander, did you hear?" The dog barked happily, sensing his mistress's joy.

"Papa says we can play!"

* * *

It was a gray day. Ed groaned as they ascended the steps to Tucker's house; as a Rinkaku-Ukaku type, both kagune highly sensitive to rain, he could feel a distinct aching in his back. Al gave him a sympathetic glance; because his Koukaku was incomplete and he was unable to use it properly, he wouldn't be able to shield his older brother from the downpour.

"Mr. Tucker?" Called the elder, poking his head into the doorway. "It's Ed and Al! Can we come in?"

Silence. Unnerving, bellowing, terrifying silence.

Ed narrowed his eyes, stepping smartly over the threshold. "Mr. Tucker?"

Al joined him, calling, "Nina? Mr. Tucker? Are you alright?"

"Down here."

His voice had a kind of hypnotized, dreamlike quality that sent chills up both ghouls' spines. It was almost... Dead.

When they entered the darkened chamber beside the library, there was a white chimera with a lank brown mane and a curved back sitting on all fours, staring at Tucker. The older alchemist's eyes were, once again, obscured by the light reflecting off of the glass of his spectacles.

"It's my newest creation," he said, spreading his arms, gesturing to the chimera and smiling widely. He then knelt down in front of the creature and spoke to it, "Hey, this person is Edward. Got it? Ed-ward."

"Ed... ward," repeated the chimera sluggishly, and Tucker nodded vigorously, overjoyed. "Yes, that's right! Edward."

Ed crouched in beside the chimera, tucking a hand under its chin as he would a dog as it continued, "Ed... ward. Ed... ward."

It suddenly gave him a horrible grin of some sort, showing its mouthful of blunt teeth. "Big... Bro... ther."

Ed gasped, stifling it at the last second. _He couldn't have... He wouldn't have...!_

"Mr. Tucker, when did your wife leave?"

Tucker appeared a bit taken aback, but answered amiably, "Let's see... Two years ago."

"And when did you get your State Ghoul license?"

Tucker's glasses obscured the view to his eyes. "Two years ago."

"Can I ask one more question?" Ed clenched his teeth, fighting back the bloodlust. He'd eaten over a week ago, and he didn't need to spill more blood... But if he did... If he'd done what he thought—!

"_Where_ did Nina and Alexander go?!"

Tucker moved his head to the side, so that his eyes were visible, and they held a kind of patronizing reproach. "I hate nosy brats like you."

He was carried forward by rage on his silver wing; his two silver tentacles whipped around angrily. _You didn't, you didn't, you didn't!_

"So that's what you did! You—you _scum_... How _could_ you?! The first time, it was your _wife_!" The enraged half-ghoul gestured violently to the chimera, who sat stock-still in the middle of the cobbled floor, supremely unconcerned with the rapid turn of events. "This time, you created a _chimera_ using your _own daughter_ and _a dog_!"

Al, too, gasped, turning to stare in horror at Nina, who tilted her head to look back. "Oh, my God..."

"Because it's _so much easier_ to use _humans, isn't it_?! Because tampering with _mortal__ life_ gets you _much better results, doesn't it_?!"

Tucker, who'd been pinned helplessly to the wall by a silver tentacle, managed a wheezy laugh. "Oh, so I'm wrong? Your kagune, your brother's senses... They're because of tampering with mortal life, isn't it?"

"You're wrong!" He was going to regret screaming in the morning, his voice would be all but gone, but he didn't care, not when he'd done the Devil's work, not when he brought back all those memories, with the violet light and the blackened corpse of his mother and Al standing unmoving and _no, no, no._

"We're both State Ghouls, bound to the military with our abilities and curiousity! We're scientists, ready to go to unreachable lengths to satisfy our questions!"

"You're wrong!"

"You're curious, too, aren't you? You want to know everything, but you're held back by laws! Why should we obey? We deserve the answers and thus should be allowed to perform these experiments!"

"You're _wrong_!" This time, he punctuated his meaning with a gash from his free tentacle. The man laughed, blood gurgling from his gut where the Rinkaku had probably pierced a vital organ or two, but Ed didn't care.

"We ghouls..." Another slash.

"Would never..." Another wound.

"_I'd_ never—!" His left arm, hanging limply at his side, was pulled back gently. Ed froze, his unshed tears still watering in his human eye, blood spattered over the right side of his face.

Nina had the red sleeve of his jacket in her mouth. When she had his attention, she dropped it and padded over to her profusely bleeding, but rapidly healing, father.

"Pa... pa... Do you... hurt...? Papa, do you hurt...?"

Ed stared at her. No matter what form she was in, she was still Nina, and she, even though her father had done this to her, she still loved him unconditionally...

He screamed.

* * *

"This was truly the Devil's work." First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye follwed Mustang out of the Eastern Command Center, her brows furrowed.

"The Devil's work, huh?" Said Mustang, phrasing the question more as rhetorical than one to be answered. "We State Ghouls must be ready to act in these types of situations. In a way, what Tucker did wasn't so different from what we do, interfering with things that we often don't understand. We chose this path, knowing full well what we were doing." He paused in the middle of the stairs, in the rain, even though there was a prickling at his shoulder blades where his Ukaku would be.

"Right, Fullmetal?"

The boy was sitting on a step, his head buried in his knees and arms. His kagune was strewn behind him, dispersing momentarily every time a drop hit it, but though it must have been at least remotely uncomfortable, he didn't withdraw it.

"People may call us demons or Gods. Because of what we can do. But we're not demons, much less Gods." Ed stood, slowly, crushed by the weight of emotion and pain. "We're mortal." He clenched his fists. "We can't even save one little girl." He finally hunched over, ready to cry but forcing himself not to. "We're just... Pathetic... Mortals...!"


	5. AN—TEMP HIATUS

**GUYS I'M SO SORRY.**

**FMG WILL BE PUT ON TEMP HIATUS.**

**NOT MUCH WILL BE HAPPENING FOR A BIT BECAUSE OF PERSONAL MATTERS.**

**Thank you for understanding!**


	6. IMPORTANT POLL AN

**Alright pplz, we got a problem.**

**I reread FMG and almost died. **

**GOD IT'S AWFUL.**

**So I put up a poll to see if I should just go ahead with it or if I should make a rewrite (which, personally, I prefer, but it's up to you guys. I don't mind either way).**

**I want to try making FMG by not going along with the FMA storyline and fleshing out the characters, along with making a much more solid background than the transparent one I gave you guys in Chapter Two on FMG. **

**So... Ya.**

**PLEASE POLL AND TELL ME.**

**PEACE.**


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